Ordinary citizens join campaign against coronavirus

By Charles Lotara

A group of South Sudanese volunteers has been formed to complement and support current government efforts to tame the spread of coronavirus.

Calling itself Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19, the organisation, which has attracted the attention of health partners has 70 members and still encourages more volunteers to join the group.

The group is independent of the High-Level Taskforce on Covid-19. The Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19 is championed by five health campaigners, who are also members of the committee.

In a press statement, the organisation founded by Merekaje Lorna, Faree Musa Fataki, Catherine Charles and Michael Lopuke called on more people to join the voluntarily to bolster the campaign against COVID-19.

“The Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19 is an idea that was conceptualised by a volunteer based on the desire to help complement efforts to combat the pandemic,” the statement said.

“The Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19 is expected to mobilise as many citizens as possible and engage in a robust way based on the varied expertise among the membership and join hands in the fight against COVID-19 Pandemic,” it read.

The organisation pointed out possible challenges they are likely to face during their campaign.

“Others (people) may misunderstand these efforts and think that the team is rivalling the High-Level Taskforce. This still remains a perception among some members of the public but the High-Level Taskforce has welcomed the complementary role of the Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19”, it read.

“Other people may attack members because they think such an initiative cannot be done on voluntary basis because most people are not used to the idea of volunteering for a common cause. however, the efforts of the few who have come forth to join the cause are remarkable,” said Citizen’s Taskforce on COVID-19.

The statement added that people may think that the volunteers are in this for money and pride.

The lobbyist group say all the above perceptions can be mitigated by being clear about the driving idea behind all the efforts and why all the volunteers in the team decided to join the cause.

“COVID-19 is a threat not only to nations but to humanity. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of each and every one to join efforts to contain the virus and mitigate impact of the pandemic.”

South Sudan reported four cases of coronavirus infections with most of the affected people coming from foreign countries, including the Netherlands.